1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for use in surgical procedures and, more specifically, to an arthroscopic method and apparatus for installing a suture anchor into bone.
2. Related Art
Medical devices and methods for attaching soft tissue to bone have been developed. Of particular interest, especially in sports medicine procedures, are suture anchors. A suture anchor is typically inserted into and fixed in a bore hole drilled into a bone at a surgical repair site. Sutures are typically coupled to the anchor and are used to secure the soft tissue to the bone in order to effect the repair. For many repair procedures, accuracy in the placement of suture anchors in bone is required to achieve consistently positive surgical outcomes, requiring substantial skill on the part of the surgeon.
Accurate placement of bore holes and suture anchors can be particularly challenging when repair is performed arthroscopically, as both access to and visibility of an arthroscopic surgical site may be more limited than is the case with open surgical procedures. For example, accurately drilling bore holes and placing suture anchors into these holes, at certain joint areas of the body, can be difficult for even a very experienced surgeon. This is due to the delivery devices not being able to reach a preferred anchor delivery point, not being able to achieve the preferred anchor trajectory, or both. In addition to these access and visualization problems, current devices used in the delivery of suture anchors cannot withstand the forces imposed by new techniques.
With the increasing popularity of arthroscopic repairs on the shoulder and hip, as well as repairs in other body joints including the ankle, knee, elbow, and foot, surgeons increasingly need to perform these procedures accurately and repeatably.
Accordingly, a need exists for devices and methods that provide for the accurate placement of suture anchors used in arthroscopic surgical procedures.